Gardenia

Gardenia augusta

It's easy to fall in love with gardenia, the queen of fragrant flowers. This beautiful evergreen shrub produces a plethora of heavily scented white rose-shape flowers throughout the warm months. Even when it's not blooming, gardenia's glossy green foliage is attractive. The dense leaves make gardenia bushes a great choice for privacy hedges in warm-winter climates.

Gardenia grows best in moist, well-drained soil rich in organic matter and with an acidic pH. The plant will often develop yellow leaves if the soil isn't acidic enough.

Gardenia is sometimes grown as a houseplant in cold-winter climates. Give it a bright spot with lots of indirect light to promote plenty of blooms.